In this featured article, Joel Brooks highlights the oft-overlooked reality that pastoral plurality in the local church is not just the biblical norm, it is a practical and spiritual necessity. But plurality can’t simply be pastoral nomenclature — terms we commonly use that make little claim upon us. If plurality is real, it brings men under submission and guides their service. This means sacred cows occasionally get slaughtered so that the pastor’s soul moves even closer to Christ-like service. One of the cows pluralities are reluctant to touch is the sacred area of lead-pastor preaching. Pastor, are you ready to slaughter?

Neighboring is messy. It requires sacrifice and effort to be a good neighbor — and patience to deal with the difficult ones around you. Regardless, God calls us into the mess. He has called your church to be a good neighbor. Too often, our churches are invisible to their communities. If your church ceased to exist tomorrow, would anyone know you were gone? That question haunted me while pastoring in Mesquite, Texas.

There will always be an endless list of chores to complete and work to do, and a culture of relentless productivity tells us to get to it right away and feel terribly guilty about any time wasted. But the truth is, a life spent dutifully responding to emails is a dull one indeed. And “wasted” time is, in fact, highly fulfilling and necessary.

Those moments immediately following the worship service are not worthless. Here we have an opportunity to meet visitors and connect with friends. And if we want to build vibrant, heart-level relationships, we must make the most of the time. We need questions that probe beneath the surface.